Air conditioners are not available to provide microenvironmental control. Nor are means available to provide local comfort conditioning air streams either above or below ambient temperature easily selectable by the user.
Varied means have been proposed to provide localized comfort to an individual user by supplying cooled or heated air, but not both, to porous structures incorporated in varied ways into blankets, mattresses, seat cushions, and chair backs. Investigators have found that selective cooling or heating of the head and neck region of an individual engaged in sedentary activities reduces the feelings of thermal stress, readily bringing the human system back to neutral responses, and involving rather minor, 100 watt, heat load variations.
It is an object of this invention to provide an electrically powered system which desirably is small, compact, portable and relatively energy efficient while supplying controlled temperature, comfort conditioning air streams to the head and neck region of the user. The basic units are readily incorporated as components in designing furniture for the home, office or factory. The system supplements rather than supplants existing primary heating and/or cooling systems.